Once in a Lifetime
by JazzGirl123
Summary: Another boring summer vacation she has been dragged to against her will, Amu is not happy, especially since she is too sad by the end of her long term relationship with Tadase. But with the way her life had gone so far, she doubts it will be boring for long especially when a certain someone shows up after three years... AMUTO!


…

"No."

Hinamori Amu, age fifteen, crossed her arms and scowled at her parents who wore pleading expressions. "I said no, Mama."

"Amu-chan, please," begged Midori as her husband and youngest daughter talked excitedly by the door. "We never force you anywhere, and a chance like this comes once in a lifetime! Besides, we haven't been to the lake since you were very little! Don't you want to go and see the old cabin again?"

She did, actually, very badly. "Why would I want to see some rotting log cabin that hasn't been cleaned in nearly ten years, never mind stay in it for two months?"

Midori smiled knowingly. "Ah, but we're not staying at the cabin; they've changed the area over time, you know. There is nice hotel nearby the beach not too far away from the lake, and that is where we'll be staying. I know you want to go, Amu-chan, so why are you lying to me right now?" She gestured to the clock. "I will give you exactly five minutes to change your mind and go pack, but that is it." The mousy haired woman turned and headed back into the kitchen, apparently to finish packing their lunches for the drive. "If you don't go, I will have you stay with Suzuki-san across the street for the rest of the summer."

Amu made a face that broke her mask. "Alright, alright; I'll go and pack." She ignored her mother's triumphant look as she turned and trudged up the stairs, shuddering at the thought of staying with the crazy man who smelled of ham and collected antique dolls for fun. "Jeez, that woman is something else."

"So are you going, Amu-chan?" Ran asked when her person entered the room, pausing in the game of catch she had started with her three sisters. The ball she had thrown effectively hit Miki, causing her beret to fly off, and the blue haired Chara glared daggers at the athletic girl. "Whoops, sorry Miki!"

Amu felt the corners of her mouth quirk upwards. "Yeah, it was either go or spend the summer with Suzuki." Her Charas shuddered, remembering how his one working eye would swivel in their direction when she walked to school each morning.

"Cheer up, Amu-chan," said Su softly, floating over to the pink haired girl as she took out a suitcase and began throwing some clothes into it. Ran and Dia rushed to help her, while Miki checked things off. "I'm sure it'll be fun, and it'd be a nice break from…things here, desu."

Amu smiled at the clover Chara, affectionately tapping her head. "You're right, Su; I do need a little 'me' time after breaking up with Tadase. I still can't believe he called me 'Amulet Heart' when we were kissing."

"Sorry Amu-chan," said Ran softly, receiving a sigh from her person.

"No, it's not your fault," assured the pink haired teenager. "I guess I was too naive when he said he learned to accept all of me…" She closed her eyes and sighed longingly before opening them again and grinning. "Enough of that though! We have a vacation to pack for!"

"Amu-chan, you have two minutes before we leave!" Her mother called from downstairs.

Amu's eyes widened as she scrambled to remember what else she needed. "My toothbrush!"

Her Charas exchanged amused looks as she raced out of her bedroom before proceeding to finish packing for her.

…

Five and a half hours later, Amu practically leaped out of her father's car and kissed the ground. Too many times he had swerved off the road for getting distracted by an excellent scenery he could take pictures of, or because seven year old Ami had said something about boys.

She would have kissed the ground, too, if there hadn't been people standing nearby where they parked. Almost by habit, which it was, her Cool n' Spicy mask snapped on and she merely placed a hand on her hip and popped the bubblegum she had been chewing. The boys nearby immediately checked her out, appreciating her very developed figure beneath her white shorts and dark red tank top. The girls gave her an onceover and while some smiled warmly, others could barely hide their looks of jealousy. Amy merely rolled her eyes as she pulled down her sunglasses, allowing the plastic object to shield her vision from the sun's rays.

Ami stumbled out from the car next to her, holding a bucket and a shovel. "Onee-chan, let's go build a sandcastle!"

The pink haired girl glanced down at her younger sister. "Ami, it's late; we need to check in at the hotel and get some sleep, not to mention eat dinner. We can go to the beach tomorrow."

The seven year old pouted. "But Amu-chan," she whined, not being able to suppress her yawn. A slight red tinge formed on her cheeks. "Oh, okay; will you carry me, Onee-chan?"

"Will you please, Amu?" Her mother requested, hauling one of the suitcases from the trunk. Her father was snapping pictures of nearly everything in sight while struggling to carry at least three other suitcases.

The holder of the Humpty Lock sighed and tossed her sister's toys into the duffel bah before hauling it over her shoulder, lifting Ami up into her embrace. The boys cooed at the sight, loving this girl more and more, while even some of the jealous bambis melted at the sisterly love.

Amu rolled her eyes as she carried her sister into the hotel lobby, listening absently to her awed Charas. As her parents checked in, she took the time to admire the décor as well. It was completely sea themed, with the enormous tanks filled with tropical fish and brightly colored furniture everywhere. Looking at the area, she couldn't help but think how her friends would have loved it here. She vowed to take a lot of pictures to show them at the start of next term.

"Alright, Amu," said her mother, startling her. "You and Ami will be sharing the en suite in Room 45F on the sixth floor, and we'll be in the room right across in Room 63F. Are you alright with that?" Amu nodded as she tossed Ami a bit so that she wouldn't slip down anymore. Midori handed her daughter the room key as the bellhop took some of their luggage. "Why don't you get settled in and rest a bit before we meet for dinner around eight, okay? It's five now, so that should be enough time. Your father and I will handle the rest of the check in details, so you go up with Ami."

The pinkette nodded and followed the bellhop to the elevator, ignoring how her younger sister was beginning to drool on her shoulder a bit. After a minute, the elevator doors opened with a ding and the bellhop showed them to their room. She smiled apologetically as he took one look at them before carefully taking the key and inserting it into the lock, holding the door open for them.

"Thank you," Amu said as she placed her sister down on one of the two beds, reaching into her purse and handing the bellhop a few yen. He smiled politely and tipped his hat thankfully at her before silently closing the door, having already given back the key.

Amu stretched her arms as she glanced around the room. It was very large, large enough to fit two king size beds and still have more than plenty of room. The walls were painted a beautiful blue robin, and the carpet was a pure white. There was a door leading to the five piece bathroom, and another leading to the balcony with the magnificent view of the ocean. There were also two sets of white dressers that had starfish shaped knobs, and two white nightstands with table lamps on each side of the beds. There was a desk in the corner with some outlets, most likely for a laptop or something. Between the two beds across the wall was a plasma TV under a stand which was neatly piled with several magazines and the channel guide, along with the remote.

All in all, it was very luxurious and was nothing like the wooden cabin that she had stayed in as a child.

Next to her head, Su yawned and bid her sisters goodnight as she crawled up on the comforter nearby Ami. Amu yawned as well, deciding to take a nap before she met up with her parents.

"Wake me up in an hour, okay guys?" She said to her still awake Charas, curling up into a ball on her bed. She was already asleep when they replied.

Exactly ninety minutes later, Amu nearly screamed as something jumped on her. She sat up in a flash, a hand over her chest in shock as Ami jumped excitedly on her bed. "What was that for, Ami?"

"Onee-chan wouldn't wake up," said the seven year old. "Your magic fairies tried to wake you, but you wouldn't move." Amu glanced at her Charas, smiling apologetically.

"What time is it?" She asked curiously, glancing at the little digital clock on the nightstand. "It's already six thirty? I have to shower…Ami, do you need to bathe?" Her sister shook her head. "That's right; you took one right before we left…okay, I'm going to shower so you stay here and watch TV or something until I come back okay?" Amu waited until the brunette nodded understandingly before glancing at her Charas, silently asking them to watch her. They nodded, Ran and Su saluting while Miki simply shrugged and Dia smiled. "I'll be out in about thirty minutes, and then we can go out and explore for a bit before we meet Mama and Papa okay?" Again, Ami nodded and her older sister couldn't help but ruffle her hair affectionately before standing and grabbing her bag as she headed into the bathroom.

Twenty nine minutes later, having had some trouble trying to figure out the fancy shower buttons, Amu walked out of the bathroom wearing a towel with another wrapped around her head to dry her hair. She was relieved to find Ami sitting on her bed, holding her favorite stuffed animal with her eyes glued to the screen where she was watching some anime. Her Charas were flying around, entertaining the seven year old when she felt adventurous. Well, Ran and Su were. Dia was sitting next to Ami while Miki seemed to be drawing as she sat on the desk.

"Hey Miki," called Amu softly, careful not to catch her sister's attention. "Can you draw me an outfit? Mama still has my suitcase with my clothes." The blue haired Chara nodded once as she scribbled furiously for a moment, tapping her chin with her pencil before she made the outfit appear on her person.

Amu blinked before she looked down at herself, nodding in approval. She had on a black pleated skirt with a chunky belt and two chains hanging from the side, along with a dark red V-neck long sleeved shirt over a white camisole and black flip flops. Her still slightly damp hair was put in her signature ponytail with the cross clip, and the Humpty Lock was secured around her neck like usual.

"Thanks," she said to her artistic Chara, who nodded in response before returning to her original sketching. She then noticed Ami's suitcase lying open on her bed. "Ami, do you want to change before we go or are you okay?" Her sister was wearing a simple flower dress, but it was probably chilly outside and Amu didn't want her to catch a cold during vacation. Ami looked away from her cartoons to look at her sister.

"Change," she replied, turning to her suitcase and randomly pulling out an outfit. "Is this okay?" She held up a bathing suit and Amu giggled.

"Actually, let's just put you in some tights and you should be good," she remarked, pulling out a white pair. "Here, let me help you…what do you want to do?"

"See the fishies," exclaimed Ami, kicking her legs excitedly. This made it harder for her sister to slip the tights on, but that was probably why she did it. "I wanna see the fishies, onee-chan!" Amu sighed as she finally got the tights on her sister.

"Okay, we can visit the aquarium," she replied as Dia moved out of the way from her sister's flailing legs.

"Yay," cheered Ami, jumping on the bed. The diamond Chara floated over to her person, smiling radiantly as always.

"According to the hotel's brochure, there's a children's corner on the first floor where they can look at the aquarium," she said in her soft voice. Amu nodded as she swept her sister into her arms, making Ami squeal happily.

"Come on you," she said, smiling. "We only have one hour before we have to meet Mama and Papa in the lobby."

"Are we seeing the fishies?" Ami asked as they left the hotel room, her older sister lifting her satchel over her shoulder with the room key in one hand. "I wanna see the fishies!"

"Yes, we're seeing the fish," stated Amu, secretly excited as well to see the tropical and colorful fish. "Now, today we're going to see them together but after this sometimes I'm going to leave you with Mama or Papa, or with the other kids in the hotel okay?" Ami nodded understandingly, waving to the four Charas who flew next to them. They were getting harder to see, the seven year old realized. "Now, off to the aquarium!"

"Mind if I join?"

Amu turned around, surprised, as she saw a handsome boy around her age. He didn't look very nice though, with his hungry eyes and lecherous smirk. She snapped her mask on at once. "I'd rather you didn't."

"Ah, let me rephrase my question," the unnamed boy said. "You two, specifically you Pinky, are joining me tonight." Amu held her sister closer to her, the younger girl huddling to her since she wasn't stupid or too young to understand that this boy was dangerous. "Now, you can come the easy way or the hard way."

"I'd prefer neither," said Amu coolly, ignoring the barb on her hair. "I don't have to do anything I don't want to." Ran floated over with a concerned look.

"This is not good, Amu-chan," she whispered, even though the boy couldn't see her. "I think we should Chara change."

"Too risky with Ami," shot Amu out of the corner of her mouth, her eyes glaring at the boy. Harming her was one thing, but the overprotective sister was in charge at the moment. "Listen, I don't want to deal with you so can you move?"

"I don't think you understand, honey," snarled the boy, grabbing her arm. Amu couldn't help but wince. "You have no choice in the matter, so let's go. Nobody's around, so you're alone." It was then that Amu noticed that the lobby was empty, other than the sleeping receptionist. "Come on."

Yet, the teenager held her ground. "No," she snapped, trying to tug her arm away but he had a tight grip on her. "Let me go."

"Come on," growled the boy, yanking her forward. Amu tightened her grip on her sister, debating whether or not she should let her go. What if he had friends nearby? If they caught Ami, she would have no choice but to comply. "Let's go."

"No!"

"Come on, bitch!"

"The lady said no."

Amu, Ami, and the boy turned to see a tall figure looming in the background. Before anybody could react, the unnamed boy was knocked out while the new figure grabbed Amu and dragged her away.

Thanking every god she knew, Amu was never happier to see Ikuto.

…

Five minutes later, Amu and Ikuto were walking side-by-side in the aquarium while Ami ran ahead with the five Charas.

"So, what are you doing here anyways?" Amu asked curiously, glancing up at the taller male.

He shrugged. "Well, after the whole Easter thing I went to find my dad as you know. It turns out it was some wild goose chase for his amusement since he was in Japan the whole time. My mom wanted to do something to celebrate the family coming together again but Utau had just started her tour in America and no one wanted to interrupt that, and then my violin career began to start as well so we hadn't had a chance to actually do something as a family until now and my parents chose this place. I must admit I wasn't too happy, but if being here means seeing you and saving you from creeps as usual then it isn't too bad."

Amu blushed. "Thanks for that, by the way," she murmured, ignoring the smug smirk on the twenty year old's face. "Hey, does that mean Utau is here too?"

"Yeah, but she's probably up in the hotel room to avoid being mobbed," replied Ikuto, watching as Yoru broke out of his trance when he flew into the glass. "And if she is, she's probably talking to Kukai." Amu nodded. "Speaking of boyfriends, how are you and the kiddy king?" Seeing Ami distracted by some fish, Ikuto stopped and stepped in front of her when Amu flinched. "What? Tell me."

"It's nothing," muttered Amu, rubbing her arm absently. Those damn indigo eyes wouldn't leave her alone though, and she relented after a few moments. "He called me Amulet Heart when we were kissing, that's all."

"Idiot," muttered Ikuto before grabbing her hand and pulling her alone. "I'll hit him when we get back to Japan, if you want." Amu looked up at him with a raised eyebrow.

"You're coming back to Japan?" She exclaimed, and he realized how little contact they've had over the past three years. "That's great! And no, Ikuto, don't hit Tadase. He's not worth it, really."

"Yeah," agreed the blue haired violinist as they approached Ami. She looked up and grinned.

"I remember you now," she exclaimed proudly, pointing up at him. "You're the pretty cat boy who slept with onee-chan!" Amu blushed furiously, thankful her father wasn't around at that moment. Even Ikuto had to hide his small blush at her wording.

"Uh, yes, he is," said Amu quickly, waving her hand in front of her face as she did when she panicked. "Um, let's keep this a secret from Papa okay?" Her sister nodded and she grabbed onto Ikuto's leg.

"I wanna ride on Ni-san's shoulders," she demanded and Ikuto couldn't help but smile as he was reminded of early days with Utau, hoisting her up. "Yay!" Amu found this too adorable so she whipped out her phone and snapped the picture before he could take it from her, just as she heard Miki's pencil scratching against paper, no doubt sketching the very same scene.

"If you wanted some pictures of me, all you had to do was ask, Amu-koi," remarked Ikuto, smirking as her face immediately turned red.

"I told you not to call me that," she snapped, crossing her arms. "And why would I want pictures of _you_?"

"Says the girl with the picture of a sleeping Ikuto as her wallpaper," remarked Miki, earning a dirty look from her person and an amused one from the violinist.

"Don't give me that look," said Amu to the cat. "It was when you just left to find your dad and Yoru was sending all these very badly taken pictures of you!"

Ikuto didn't think his smirk could grow anymore until Yoru asked questioningly, "Not all of them were badly…the only good one was that sleeping picture, nya…hey, why did you keep the shirtless picture of him, nya?" Amu's face nearly exploded as she completely burned out, very much like she did when he had kissed her on the cheek in front of Tadase and Utau, and Ami bounced on his shoulders as he laughed richly.

"Ah, how I missed you Amu," remarked Ikuto, only to have her flush even more if that were possible. "Come on, didn't you say you had to meet your parents soon?"

"Yeah…" Amu's eyes widened. "Crap, what time is it?"

Ikuto glanced at his watch. "Roughly eight fifteen, why?"

"Come on Ami, we have to meet Mama and Papa," said the pinkette, reaching for her sister only for her to lean back.

"Only if ni-san comes too," she demanded and Ikuto raised an eyebrow as he titled back his head to look up at her.

"You want me to come?" He asked and she nodded, softly playing drums on his head as he smiled warmly. "Only if your sister says alright, okay?"

"Since when do you need my permission?" Amu said, rolling her eyes as she began walking towards the exit. "Are you coming or not?" Ami clapped gleefully while Ikuto smirked, all five Charas smiling knowingly which the pinkette ignored.

Tsumugu was panicking; where were his daughters? What if something had happened? What if someone was hurt? What if they had met a boy?! That last one scared him the most. His wife was calm, though she looked a bit less than amused by his behavior.

"Dear, I'm sure they're fine," assured Midori, trying to calm her husband. It was a useless attempt but she had tried at least.

"Mama, Papa!"

The two adults looked up and saw their two children, the eldest rubbing the brim of her nose while the youngest rode on the shoulders of a handsome blue haired man. Midori recognized him at once but her husband looked ready to pass out.

"MY SPARROWS ARE WITH A BOY!" He wailed, falling to the ground. Amu looked like she wanted to be anywhere else as everyone looked at them, startled, while Ami giggled and Ikuto placed her down.

"Papa, this is…my friend," said Amu carefully as Ikuto held out his hand.

"Tsukiyomi Ikuto," he greeted politely. Tsumugu was too busy wailing on the ground, looking like he was going to 'run away' again, but his wife shook her head as she took the offered hand.

"It's nice to see you again, Ikuto," she replied, smiling warmly while ignoring her husband's anguished cry. Ami tugged on the violinist's pant leg and he leaned down so she could whisper something in his ear.

"Mama, you know this boy?!" He exclaimed and she nodded. "How, why? Why does Amu and Ami know him?!"

"Ikuto was a childhood friend of Tadase's and I met him when I was in elementary school," explained Amu. Technically it was true.

"How come I've never met him with that group of your friends?" Tsumugu asked curiously, his amusing character disappearing as his stern and protective father side took over. Amu rubbed the back of her neck.

"Uh, he was a senior in high school at that time so we didn't hang out that much," she replied nervously, not sure how he would take it. Her father quickly returned to his usual self.

"NO, MY SPARROW HAS LEFT THE NEST!" He yelled, standing. "I'M RUNNING AWAY!" He dashed towards where the elevators were, and left the others in bemusement.

Midori sighed, massaging her temples. "I'll go see him; Ami, come on. I think Papa needs some 'sparrow time'." She lifted her youngest daughter into her arms and smiled at the abnormally haired pair. She wouldn't be surprised if Ikuto became her son-in-law one day; she had never been a fan of that Tadase boy. He seemed too delicate and feminine for her strong willed Amu. "Why don't you two go on to the dinner? We already made the reservations; no need for them to go to waste." She smiled knowingly before walking away, most likely to calm her frantic husband.

Amu wasn't sure how to react, stunned, until she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist. "So, I suppose this is our first date, hm Amu-koi?"

The pink haired girl flushed at the 'koi' part, but remained silent. How did she feel about having a first date? She had been on dates before, though they had been with mostly Tadase; and even then, those didn't make her stomach do flip flops like it did now.

"A-A date?" She whispered, and Ikuto reminded himself that there was a five year difference between them and she had just gotten out of a long term relationship with his childhood friend. "Um…" He sighed and was about to release her when she suddenly broke away. "Utau!"

Utau whipped around in surprise, looking ready to attack or flee-depending on the situation, only to smile in slight confusion when her violet eyes landed on her best friend. "Amu! What are you doing here?"

The pinkette practically tackled the blonde, grinning. "My family is on vacation here!"

"Really?" Utau asked. "You don't seem that surprised to see me though…" She then looked up, feeling another presence, and smirked when she noticed the scowl on her brother's face. Apparently, her arrival had ruined a moment. "Oh…where is your family?"

Amu rolled her eyes. "My dad flipped out when he saw me and Ami with Ikuto, so my mom took her upstairs to go and calm him down."

"Oh, well, do you want to join us for dinner?" Utau asked. "We were supposed to eat here tomorrow but some family cancelled at the last minute so we can go in." Amu was about to decline, not wanting to cut in on their family bonding, when her stomach growled loudly. The two older Tsukiyomis smirked in amusement as she blushed brightly. "I guess that's a yes?"

"Apparently," muttered Amu, allowing Ikuto to drag her in where she met a beautiful blonde haired woman and handsome navy haired man. She recognized them at once as Utau and Ikuto's parents from Ikuto's memories but they had never been properly introduced. "Um…"

"Mom, Dad, this is Hinamori Amu," said Utau bluntly, making Amu remember why she and Kukai worked so well. Evidently the pinkette was a popular subject in the Tsukiyomi household as the couple's eyes lit up. "Her family was unable to make the dinner tonight so I asked her to join us."

"Ah, so this is the famous Amu we've heard so much about," said the woman, taking her hands in hers. "Tsukiyomi Souka, nice to meet you at last." Amu blushed as she was passed on to her husband.

"So you're the young lady who stole my son's heart," said the man, and Amu blushed furiously which earned a chuckle from him. Ikuto himself was blushing a bit as well. "I have heard nothing but 'Amu this' and 'Amu that' since I returned to my family. Tsukiyomi Aruto, a delight to meet you." He smiled warmly. "We don't mind you joining us at all, dear Amu."

"Uh, I mean I don't want to intrude," sputtered Amu, backing up into the cat. "Eep!"

"If you wanted to get closer to me, all you had to was ask Amu-koi," remarked Ikuto in his low, husky voice. Amu broke her record for blushing that night as she huffed, stepping away from him.

"Why would I want to be close to you, perverted cosplaying cat?" She snapped, repeating the words she had said to him three years ago. Ikuto raised an eyebrow, remembering that day as well, while the other three either smirked or chuckled. "And don't call me that; I'm not you girlfriend, and this is not our first date!"

Ikuto chuckled at her reaction as the waiter arrived and led them to the table. "Oh, and what would you consider a good first date, Amu?" Although he was teasing her, he was curious as well. A man in love could only wait so long.

The pinkette rolled her eyes as they were seated at a curve shaped booth with the order being Utau, Amu, Ikuto, Souka, and Aruto. The conversation continued as the waiter asked for their drinks. "I'd like pink lemonade, please," she said to the waiter, smiling politely before turning back to the cat she was secretly fond of. "A first date would be where I can tell you something that I don't normally tell people, and where I can be myself and have fun." Seeing his raised eyebrow while their drinks were served, Amu huffed. "If you must know, idiot, we already had a first date if you think of my expectations," she said before sipping her lemonade.

"My, my," remarked Souka as she watched her son scramble to remember what she was talking about. "I can certainly see why Ikuto likes you so." Amu choked on her lemonade, blushing furiously. Her face had finally cooled down and returned to their normal color, and then she had said that.

"It's nothing," muttered the pinkette. "He just teases me a lot, that's all. So Utau, how was your tour?" She turned to the blonde, a pleading look in her eyes. The older girl took pity on her friend, her brother giving their mother a look.

"It went fine, though El was constantly complaining about how she didn't like to travel on planes because she couldn't write," replied Utau. "I had no idea she wrote stuff, but she refused to tell what she wrote about." She raised an eyebrow at Amu, who was pointedly looking away. "What? Do you know?"

"Well, she did stay with me for some time," remarked the pinkette nonchalantly, earning an embarrassed blush from the idol.

"Ah, was that when your Chara had an X on it?" Aruto asked curiously, and Amu glanced at Utau and Ikuto. "Yes, Kazuomi filled us in when I returned, so we know about everything." He watched as Amu glance at Ikuto, mouthing something which he shook his head. "Well, apparently not everything."

"Anyway, yes," continued Amu, shaking her head. "I had an X on my Chara, Dia, and she went to Utau-who was still with Easter-because she wanted to be with someone who was more confident with themselves and that's exactly what Utau was."

"During that time, I also effectively got rid of my own Chara, El, because I deemed her too weak," continued Utau with an ashamed tone, watching the said Chara chat absently with the other six in the center of the table. "Eventually, we learned to accept each other and Dia went back to Amu with no X and I apologized to El. Anyways, what was she writing about?" Amu looked down at the Charas.

"El, can I tell her?" She asked the angelic Chara, who rubbed her chin thoughtfully as the waiter came back and took their orders.

"Amu is still the enemy of Utau," she started, earning facepalms from the two girls and amused looks from the others. "However, Amu did help El when no one else did and helped Utau-chan find more fans…so yes, Amu can tell everybody."

Utau rolled her eyes, smiling, while Amu revealed, "El likes to write fanfiction about our group, and our adventures." Seeing their confused looks as to why that was so bad, Amu blushed and continued, "El is a romantic at heart, even doing so much as to force Transformations on me and do embarrassing things." Here, she glared at El who smiled sheepishly, while Ikuto chuckled as he remembered that day he had interrupted her and Tadase's date with the ice cream. Embarrassing but funny, in his opinion at least. "These stories of hers are also very romantic and honestly…it has too many adult themes." At Utau and Ikuto's looks, she snapped, "Actual adult things, not creepy things like someone forcibly kissing her brother."

"Jeez, you're never letting that go are you?" Utau muttered, crossing her arms while her parents exchanged looks. "You and Kukai are the same, I swear." This earned her a look from her friend. "And it was one time!"

"I know he doesn't like to talk about it, but I'm pretty sure you tried to jump him more than once," remarked Amu, earning a stare down between the two girls. Finally, Utau huffed and sipped her soda.

"Why are El's stories so embarrassing to you, nya?" Yoru asked curiously, nibbling on the sardine Ikuto flicked in his direction. Amu blushed, and her Charas giggled.

"Because El always asks Amu to read them," explained Ran, her sisters giggling.

"And the dirty ones always, and I mean always, star Amu and Ikuto one way or another," continued Miki, smirking. Ikuto smirked as well, only to be elbowed by the mortified Amu. "Cheer up, Amu; at least El doesn't ask you to draw out the scenes out for her."

"She does what?" Amu asked, nearly dropping her glass of lemonade. "El!"

"What?" The angel Chara didn't seem to know she had done something wrong. "I didn't see anything wrong with that. All I do is put them online with Il's help under some false names, is all."

"You…and….ugh!" Amu gave up, throwing her hands up in the air before smacking Ikuto on the arm. "You, stop laughing perverted cat!" Aruto and Souka exchanged looks again; they didn't need words to say it. They were young once as well, after all.

The rest of dinner passed smoothly, minus the times when Ikuto teased his pinkette and she blushed furiously. At least she could come up with snappy comebacks, rather than shy away like she did before. Ikuto decided he liked it either way, as long as he could make her blush. It suited her, especially if he was the one doing it.

Finally though, they had to part. Utau hugged her friend before going back to her hotel room, Aruto and Souka politely saying goodbye to the girl they knew was going to be their daughter-in-law one day before heading off to the hotel's garden for a walk, leaving Ikuto and Amu by themselves once again.

"Ah, alone at last," remarked Ikuto, placing his arms gently around her neck since he was standing behind her and placing his chin on the top of her head. "Where shall we go off now, Amu-koi?" The pinkette gave up on protesting against the name; he wasn't going to stop anyhow.

"My dad is still probably upset, and it's nearly nine thirty," she replied offhandedly. "I just want to relax…hey, we're not too far from the lake I used to come to as a kid; let's go there!" She grabbed Ikuto by the hand and dragged him out of the hotel, knowing the path by heart as she wandered through the woods with ease until they reached a beautiful lake. "It's exactly like how I remember it!" Amu sighed longingly. "I used to swim here all the time; it was so much fun. Man, I wish I brought my swimsuit, but it's back in the hotel room…what are you doing?!" That last part was because Ikuto had removed his shirt, tossing it to the ground. Her face exploded, burning out again as he chuckled.

"Didn't you want to swim?" He asked. "Isn't that why you dragged me out here?"

"Yes, but…" Amu sputtered, watching as he unbuckled his pants. She turned away quickly before he could take them off, waiting until he laughed before she snuck a peek. He was pantless, but still wearing his black boxers. "I-Ikuto, put your clothes back on!"

"Nah, I'm gonna go swim," replied the twenty year old male, seemingly transporting to the edge of the dock and jumping up into the air to do a summersault in the air before diving into the water.

"Show off," muttered Amu, watching as his head popped back up to the surface. For some reason, she was really happy and felt even daring. Dia floated next to her.

"Go ahead, Amu," she encouraged, glancing to where Ran and Su were playing in the shallow water while Miki and Yoru flirted. "Be confident and radiant." Amu beamed and waved to Ikuto before pulling off her own clothes, all of them, and racing off to the docks and joining the older male in the water.

Dia smiled as she watched Amu splash the stunned cat, who she assumed smirked as he pulled her in and kissed her. She knew Amu didn't really need them anymore, especially with that boy around, but she was happy for her person.

She glanced down and her smile grew as the Humpty Lock and Dumpty Key glowed, a harmonic melody flowing out.

The two had been reunited at last.

…

**I own nothing!**

**So…this was going to be a multi-chapter story but it probably would have ended up sucky, so I tried to cram a whole story into this oneshot. Sorry if it sucks anyways, especially that ending. I came up with the idea that Amu suddenly became confident because she could be herself around Ikuto and go skinny dipping (which she did), but I wasn't sure how to write up to that to get there…so yeah, I was rambling like I am now.**

**Anyways, I hope everybody was into character and that you liked it! Thanks for reviewing my other stories, if you've read them! I really appreciate them, and they definitely brighten up my day!**


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